News.com.au reports:
- Cold snap bleaches pristine section of reef
- Experts blame cold water, wind and air
- Climate change could make extremes ‘more common’
Note we are talking about the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) of coral, offshore the state of Queensland in north east Australia.
Coral bleaching as record cold snap hits
By Matthew Warren
August 04, 2007 08:34am
Article from: The Australian* Cold snap bleaches pristine section of reef
* Experts blame cold water, wind and air
* Climate change could make extremes ‘more common’A RECORD cold snap across southern Queensland has triggered coral bleaching normally associated with the extremes of hot weather linked to climate change.
Scientists say the bleaching has been caused by a combination of cold waters, winds and air temperatures hitting exposed reefs around the Capricorn-Bunker group of islands at the southern end of the reef.
While other sections of the reef appear to have been spared by being fully submerged or far enough north to avoid the worst of the cold snaps in June and July, bleaching has been recorded by University of Queensland researchers on Heron Island, near Rockhampton.
The area is regarded as having some of the most pristine sections of accessible reef.
Coral expert Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, from the University of Queensland’s Centre for Marine Studies, warned researchers along the reef to look for bleaching after Townsville experienced one of its coldest days on record, on June 20.
Strong and sustained southerly winds that brought heavy rain to much of southeast Queensland in June and July exacerbated the chilly conditions for coral exposed at low tide and weakened the algae on the coral needed to keep it healthy.
Professor Hoegh-Guldberg said the comfort zone for coral was between 19C and 27C but temperatures had fallen to 8C.
While bleaching from extreme heat affects entire reefs, the cold bleaching appears to be isolated to the tips of wide areas of coral exposed to the chill.
Professor Hoegh-Guldberg said the extreme variation in temperature might be more common as climate change caused hotter summers and colder winters.
CSIRO oceanographer David Griffin said the only noticeably cold currents were further south, around Fraser Island, suggesting water was being cooled at the surface by the air temperature.
Prof H-G made following comment on Andrew Bolt’s HeraldSun Forum:
I am still mystified as to how these two statements link together, and have never once issued a “threat”. I have offered ‘considered advice’ based on my expertise – perhaps appropriate given the years I have spent studying coral reefs and climate change. Anyhow, keep watching Climate Shifts mid-week for an update regarding the state of coral on the Great Barrier Reef that will go a long way to contradicting Bolt’s baseless rhetoric.
Finally, Bolt and his avid colleagues (Akerman et al) may want to take note of an article in the same edition of The Australian entitled “Blog’s Breakfast” (’Bloggers and mainstream media coexist uneasily’wink:
In his book The Cult of the Amateur, Andrew Keen laments a proliferation of “citizen journalists” with no formal training or expertise who offer up opinion as fact, rumour and reportage and innuendo as information.
Seems to fit with you quite nicely, Andrew.
Indeed. That does sound familiar doesn’t it!
Read more at www.climateshifts.org
Ove Hoegh-Guldberg (University of Queensland)
Sun 05 Aug 07 (10:28pm) ‘
However Prof Ove H-G still didn’t provide any data to support his hypothesis (sounding-like fact) that Climate Change (whether anthropogenic through CO2 emissions or otherwise) will make summers hotter and winters colder! Its a clear case of a Scientist’s Opinion, and not a Opinion based upon Science. Conversely, CSIRO climate modellers predict warmer and dryer winters and lack of snow in Sth East Australia highlands and lack of frosts(?). Inconvenient Facts are stranger than models or hysteria!